


P.T.L.

by orphan_account



Category: Alternate Universe - Fandom, Xenogears, crossover - Fandom
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Detectives, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Alternate Universe - Police, Amnesia, Angst, Attempted Murder, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Detectives, Dissociation, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Graphic Description of Corpses, Implied Relationships, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Married Couple, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Murder, Murder Mystery, Mystery, Police, Psychologists & Psychiatrists, Religious Cults, Religious Fanaticism, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Violence, casefic, might convert to an original story, this is as alternate universe as it gets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-15
Updated: 2018-06-28
Packaged: 2019-05-23 17:15:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14938505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: As alternate universe as it gets, a fandom crossover/fusion police/detective AU splitting between mystery, casefic, and psychological drama and angst.Universe borrows from Neuromancer and Cowboy Bebop the most, with characters heavily inspired by Xenogears, but in a setting with different powers (no Ether and no Gears) and backstories and current events adjusted to fit. Universe DOES contain psychologists and psychiatrists (so since Fei can get a proper care path this time around, I'm naming his illness in the tags). In the end I may well pull a Twilight and change everyone's names and concepts to make an original.Fei Wong-Uzuki, a 24 year old patrolman with the Mars Torus Metropolitan Police, does not remember what happened on his wedding day when the Order of the Sun arrived to exterminate a traitor. Come to think of it, the first 18 years of his life have vanished as well. He now carries a commendation for bravery and a detective's badge, but so many more mysteries have just opened - starting with odd burglaries involving themes of purgation, judgment, and... lambs.





	1. First Day In Burglary

**Author's Note:**

> TW/CW: HEED THE WARNINGS. This fic is an AU melange/fusion (so it's basically a retelling/reinterpretation/ENTIRELY unconnected type AU, if you wish to see canon divergence that works out from the built-out Xenogears canon world, go over to my other stories). This fic also engages in naming and more graphically and directly depicting Fei's illness as DID, because unlike the Xenogears canon planet, this universe does have a proper treatment path for him to undertake, and I am doing my research to describe him somewhat respectfully. 
> 
> That said, this is a police story (ugh, I feel more dirty and problematic with that than anything else) so it's likely there's going to be some slurs and less than enlightened attitudes toward a variety of conditions and situations (though I'm removing the race element by having that having become a thing of the past due to time - the only racists in the story are the Order of the Sun and our mystery killer, who's more of an anti-human racist than anything else)
> 
> Finally, if anything this is more of a "doujinshi work" if that makes sense - it's not meant to be 100 percent dead on accurate for anything it represents, and is more of just me testing out a plotbunny of a retelling/'true" AU type story rather than a built out canon/canon divergence AU.
> 
> Work officially orphaned as the writer is no longer interested in continuing it and feels as if it has written into a corner. If you wish to continue it, feel free to do so.

The newly minted detective walked into the elevator of the Tenth Precinct, and pressed the button for the fifth floor for the first time. That was where he had been told to report for his first shift upon coming back to work, detective’s badge and clean psych review in hand.

_They told me that they assigned me to Burglary rather than Traffic as my first division because Burglary was short handed. But I know the reason. After that, they are still worried about my stability. And who would not be? Even if everyone said I was a hero._

_But they’re afraid. Traffic is car crashes, blood and guts, as much as that nightmare six months ago was. Even if I’ve passed my psych tests and my exam score on the Detective Inventory could have put me into any division but Homicide._

_Burglary, on the other hand, is mostly paperwork for insurance and occasionally testifying in court, when the patrol officers and security guards have done the actual arresting part. A safe gig for poor Officer, ahem, Detective Wong-Uzuki, no?_

The elevator made its unusually cheery _bing_ sound as the doors opened, and Fei took one look at himself in the mirrored doors. He still had his long shock of red hair, that he had grown out over six months of paid leave. At least he could keep it, since the only detective appearance rule was “wear a pressed suit and tie,” and while natural colors were preferred, his had naturally grown out this deep pinkish-red shade most people only accomplished via dye.

_Something to do with what I must have been exposed to, the doctors all said. Including my husband. The benefits of having fallen in love with your SID instructor in academy._

He tentatively opened the door marked “Burglary/Vehicular Theft,” and he only faintly knew what to expect, from being a patrol officer visiting the detective floors on occasion before this moment.

The room seemed like any other detective division room: the file cabinets, though they were archaic and kept for looks/nostalgia more than anything else - everything in them was, as everything else, fully digitized.

The more experienced detectives sat at their tables, looking at their screens that showed various reports, as they did what was still archaically called “paperwork,” though no paper had been involved for a few hundred years.

A small bit of vapor hovered over one of the tables - department policy had finally given up on trying to stamp it out for the sake of productivity, as long as the content was verified to be not an impairing substance.

His own table sat at the ready, his workstation screens and space to sit his personal effects - he planned to put a wedding photo there, maybe some other things, flowers, one of his smaller paintings. He didn’t see need for a vapor charge tray - he never had picked up the habit.

The holographic nameplate before him changed its readout as he placed a finger upon it to verify his presence. _Det. Fei Wong-Uzuki._

“Oh, it’s the new guy,” a no-nonsense yet breezy voice came from behind him, and he turned to face its source, a blonde woman in her late twenties, which made him blink for a moment - he did not know that “the procedure” was open to people on the comfortable yet not rich salaries they earned. The only person he _knew_ with it shared his bed at home, and he knew how he had obtained it a hundred years before. _He was one of the Twelve. The first chosen for the very first round of the nanite experiments. Maybe she’s just lucky or has plastic surgery or-_

“We used to say your head’s up in my butts, but we float so… I guess your head is back down there on Mars.” She smiled at him. “Not up here in the Torus.”

“Oh. Uh, yeah, possibly.” Fei said. “Lieutenant Grayrose.”

“Yes, and you are Wong, correct?” She looked down at her personnel folder.

“Wong-Uzuki, ma’am. We married six months ago. Right before the incident at Prism Square that I still cannot recall. The last thing I remember was-”

“There’s no need to stress yourself with the memory,” Grayrose said. “I’ll make the change to the records and the list. Welcome to Burglary night watch.” She nodded, and tapped the holographic tablet in her hand with a finger. “You’re all set and ready to go. You’ll be working alone for now, as we’re kinda shorthanded, and to be honest we don’t really need more people in here right now.”

“That kind of confirms my suspicions.”

“And that is why you scored highest percentile,” Grayrose sounded impressed as she scanned the records. “But you do have to understand, the higher ups are concerned for your mental health, plus, you shot up the ranks like a rocket headed out to the Io colonies, despite your issues with your past and with the Prism Square incident, so they want you to have some more experience as well as book smarts and being fast on your feet and, well, merciless when something hits you right. Though, I think you should be on Robbery’s pickpocket detail.” A laugh. “You’d catch them all moving as fast as you did back then.”

“I have no doubt, ma’am.”

“Oh none of that! Call me Cath if we’re just talking one on one like this, Lieutenant Grayrose if you’re referring to me. We’re gonna be working together for the next year, so it’s fine!” She looked at her records once more. “Let me familiarize you a bit with the work ahead.”

“Fine, shoot.”

“Probably not the best thing to say, Detective. Or may I call you Fei?” She laughed, though. “Anyway, the work of a Burglary Division detective is ninety percent signing off on reports. Most of the time, we can’t catch them, and devoting our resources to pursuing simple thefts when we have far more serious crimes is not a priority. So mostly, you’re just going to be doing follow up work for our patrol officers, where you used to work yourself, if you remember that.”

“Probably not the best thing to ask me,” he joked back, nonetheless allowing a small smile to form on his lips. “So yes, mostly just checking their work, signing off on the report for the insurance, and done, right?”

“Yes, that’s pretty much the job, ninety percent of it, anyway. And night watch is usually slowest, too. Most of the people you’d need to call upon or talk with, your victims and witnesses and the like, are asleep around this time. So mostly, you’re just verifying evidence and waiting around just in case something needing your presence happens. And that is fairly rare. Sometimes, however, a burglary major enough or a vehicle theft beyond a simple joyride will happen in these hours, and you’ll need to go out there to handle it.”

Fei nodded. “What do you mean, again, by ‘handle it?’”

“You’re directing the Scientific Investigation Division people in evidence collection, as well as assisting them if needed, or doing it yourself if they’re busy with a more serious issue. On top of that, you’re talking with the victims and witnesses, if there are any, and bringing in and questioning the suspects. Possibly you’ll make an arrest, but we would really you prefer you just log it and send that back to patrol, unless you feel absolutely certain of your stability.”

“I think the medication is working, and I’ve been in therapy for the last six months,” Fei quietly said. “My report says I’m good enough for anything. My therapist said I simply suffered a brief episode of derealization due to post-traumatic shock.”

Grayrose eyed him carefully. “My office is open anytime you need to talk. That said, Burglary is generally the safest beat for a detective. You don’t often come into contact with suspects in an unstable setting unless you’re on an active grand theft vehicle, most of our thieves would prefer not to bring blood into matters, and no one ends up dead. It’s a very good place to hone your skills, and some of our people who don’t want too much action or who can’t stand the taste of blood or the rush of combat have stuck around bouncing between here, bunco, and code enforcement until they can retire out. You could do it, for that matter - you already have your silver star for extreme bravery shown in the line of-”

“That wasn’t _me_.” Fei simply said, looking down at the floor. “Also, the level of carnage that we created-”

“It was you or them, and you know it.” Grayrose said. “That was a full on attack by the Order of the Sun. You know, that bunch of fucking _Nazis_ from the Earth Torus. They had orders to take no prisoners, except you if they could not successfully eliminate their traitor. You were more than authorized to use lethal force - we’ve had a shoot to kill order on Vanderkaum, if he ever showed up anywhere in the Mars Torus again, after he tried to sabotage two of the generation cores.”

“That’s not the point, again, but thanks.” He looked down at his hands, for a moment seeing claws instead of fingernails. “So what do we got tonight,” he said, with an attempt to shake the image as he drew a cup of coffee from the coffeemaker.

“Not much, as per usual. You have around five reports in the queue, as today was relatively slow. All of them are insurance cases. Be glad you didn’t get daywatch, we had several warehouse break-ins then, and you know how much the businesses lean on us to actually do shit.” Grayrose shrugged. “Especially the ones whose insurance companies are leaning on them to stop putting through so many losses due to theft.”

Fei nodded. “Money talks, I guess.” With that, he sat down at his workstation to open up the first case files. Everything seemed relatively mundane for the time being: average loss anywhere from five hundred credits to ten thousand. Most of the stolen items were simple insurance cases - electronics, jewelry - with no arms or vehicles involved. The patrol officers had done relatively good work on describing the losses and collecting evidence, though he sent a couple of mail messages to the victims on a couple of sketchier reports to ask them to confirm what, exactly, had been stolen. _I’ll admit, I want to know how the hell a dog collar could be worth fifty thousand credits._

He opened his phone - although that was an archaic term, admittedly, for the devices that were rarely if ever used to make actual phone calls anymore - as he listed the fifth file as an insurance case, with no way of finding the thieves who had broken into the back of Big Joe’s Retro Video Bar and ran off with a couple pallets of whiskey. There was, after all, no more actual police work to do for the time being.

“You okay? I know the nights are still so rough for you sometimes,” he typed quickly, as he kept one eye on the workstation screens in front of him to see if any new reports had arrived in queue from the patrols. “I wish they’d put me on day watch.”

“You asked me, before I could ask you the same,” the new message read a second later. “How is your first day coming along? I assume that it must be quite busy for someone in your position. I am almost afraid to start my CME course and reading, because you always know what happens. Someone, somewhere, ends up-”

“Dead, and you’re called out to it, like you were last night the moment we started kissing.” Fei replied back. “Is it much different than when you worked with the living, anyway?”

“Not really. It is like, no matter where, no one ever does pick an appropriate time to become ill, or deceased for that matter. It would be much better if they operated on the clock so we would have some free time to ourselves.”

“Might wanna open your case files,” Grayrose said, as she stepped over. “You got an actual place you need to go check out. Your address is 10001 Rue Jules Verne. The Church of Saint Dorothea. It got broken into, and the patrol officers are requesting a detective on scene.”

“I’ll be on my way. Set me up with something good from the motor pool, all right?” Fei laughed at that. “Not a Corsair.”

“Unless you want the backseat that got pissed in last night by someone trying to get himself let go-”

“Fine, I’ll take the Corsair.” He grabbed his hat and coat off the hooks he had left them on, walking to the elevator to catch it to the police garage below.

His phone alerted to another notification, two at the same time.

_Severe thunderstorm alert for Districts Five Through Eleven of Mars Torus. This includes Mother District, Flora Colony, Virtue Vale, Nox Towne and Old Nox Towne, Luminous Station, and Artemis Base. This storm may contain heavy rain and frequent lightning._

_Fei, be careful. Something about tonight seems troubling to me, and I wish I could be there by your side. I know a burglary detective would not have much use for a doctor or a coroner, but I am worried for you. Please take care, and do not catch a cold in the rain. I love you._

He felt a sense of foreboding himself. Why would he be called to a church burglary? Though he knew it was more likely than not some bored teenagers who had broken into a soft target to make some sort of anti-religious statement, he knew that even that usually did not necessitate a call to detectives.

At the same time, it hit him like a ton of bricks why the concerned text had arrived. Citan had always hated the rainy summer nights - he would often describe how the rain had seemingly sizzled on the ground as it blended with Yui’s blood, as she had, in an act of intense love and questionable sense, shielded him from a spray of automatic gunfire, someone’s attempt at taking down someone allegedly with the nanite procedure, the only way to do so - leave nothing of a physical body left to restore itself.

“I’m not gonna die,” he messaged back as he got into the Corsair and started up his radio, his in-vehicle workstation, and everything else before finally starting the engine. “You know.”

“If you become... “

“What?”

“Never mind,” the text back said. “Just the ramblings of an old man, no? Stay safe out there. Maybe I should go through the academy as a rookie and see if they can put me on as your partner!”

“You’re such a mother hen.” Fei texted back. “I have to go. Can’t message you while I’m en route.”

====

The rain lashed the cold solid rock and rebar ground that composed the roads of the Mars Torus, making them so wet and slick that Fei had to engage the hover mode of the Corsair to maintain control as he drove through the rain, which made steering somewhat difficult. He finally brought the car to a stop in front of the police tape at 10001 Rue Jules Verne, and the rain almost instantly soaked through his hat, as thunder echoed over his head.

“I’m the man from Burglary,” he said, flashing his detective’s badge and identification. “Detective Fei Wong-Uzuki. What do we got here?”

The patrol officer looked astounded. “What we have here, is the most batshit thing I’ve seen in fifteen years on patrol - by the way, you look like a total greenhorn.”

“I kind of am, but what is this ‘most batshit thing ever,’ Fei said, as he took a look around. Nothing, aside from the church’s smashed stained glass windows and splintered door, looked that out of place from this spot. Nonetheless, he keyed in a request for SID to arrive, since he knew they weren’t busy with any murders at the moment. _Again, being married to the coroner is so helpful sometimes. How I know they’re free._

“No, no. You have to get inside to see the real damage, if one can call it… damage. Because the only actual damage is from the lamb that we handed over to the Animal Protection guys - poor thing, someone gave it Megalax and the poor thing.”

“Okay, so someone put a lamb in a church when it was dosed with shit pills. Seems elaborate, but still like a teenage prank and not something you need a detective to resolve-”

“All of the things inside were brought out here and rearranged in the church graveyard. Look back there - the graveyard looks like the nave. Like the graveyard was rearranged to look like the inside of the church, ya know?”

Fei blinked. _That_ seemed a bit more interesting, enough to perk up any detective’s sense of “something is not right here,” because that seemed a bit more elaborate than an ordinary prank. “So nothing was actually, you know, _stolen_?”

“Now you’re finally catching on, newbie!” The aging patrolman looked around them. “While the windows and door were smashed, while everything was rearranged to make the graveyard the sanctuary, while we had a poor little lamb in here that’s gonna need some major vet care, not a single thing was stolen. In fact, anything of value was piled up where the priest normally stands.”

Fei walked inside the church, along with the scientific investigations crew. He fanned at his nose slightly, looking around - there were, for some reason, post-it notes stuck to the ground at each point the pews would have been. He took a closer look at each one.

_And Jacob did separate the lambs_

_Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually._

_This is the offering made by fire which ye shall offer unto the Lord; two lambs of the first year without spot day by day, for a continual burnt offering._

_They sprinkled the blood upon the altar: they killed also the lambs, and they sprinkled the blood upon the altar._

He suddenly felt that same sense of creepy foreboding again. That sense that something was definitely Not Right by any definition, that something more alarming than any teenage prank had happened in this space, even if nothing was dead, even if nothing was stolen. That the level of detail seemed well beyond ordinary vandalism, that it seemed to be… almost a _threat_. Plus, the usual vandalism of churches, and he had seen some as a patrol officer, was of the quickly spray-painted Hail Satan or two - not this.

He found himself shaking as he looked through the rest of the church, finding more notes, each referencing lambs or lamb.

Something about the entire scene felt wrong. Not even wrong, not even that sense of _cop wrong_ that made an officer grab for his weapon and expect the worst - but a sense of sheer, absolute, “stepped off the edge of the world into batfuckinginsaneland” wrongness. As if he had intruded into someone’s mind itself, a sick mind, a tormented mind that made his own shattered mind feel safe and sane. He suddenly felt nauseated, though he did not know whether it was from that, from the smell thanks to the lamb that had been in there, from what exactly, then he saw it. Blood. Human blood.

Except, not enough to indicate any crime had been committed. It was simply a small, three letter smear on the pulpit of the church where all of the not-stolen goods had been piled.

_P.T.L._

And a post it note beneath it. _Let us pray for the Lambs, for their judgment will soon be commenced._

Fei took one more picture, signaled for the crime scene techs to grab it all, then stepped outside. He needed some fresh air, even if it meant being soaked in the early summer thunderstorm he could still hear outside.  He turned to the older patrolman. “You’re right. Thank you for being observant,” he said, shaking his head. “Do we have witnesses.”

“Nobody except the poor priest who heard the noise and came in from the rectory to see this. We already talked to him. He only saw a shadow leaving the place and heard the poor animal keening in pain.”

“That’s just wonderful,” Fei said, as he felt the rain soak through all of his clothes. “I’ve got to catch whoever did this.”

“Didn’t know you were a churchgoing man, Detective.”

“Not one at all, and you know that saying about the Buddha on the road.” Fei laughed. “But… this is a warning. I can feel it.”

====

The boosted sunlight of the Lado-Acheson system rose over the end of the Mars Torus, the thing that allowed the planet to be habitable, as Fei walked up the steady rise of the artificial hill in the Aeris Enclave - a part of town that should have been too rich for him, what with each house in it having its own artificial hill, its own patio, its own one to two bedrooms and living room and dining room and kitchen and a bathroom that wasn’t just a tiny cave with the toilet and shower on the same square of space, its own front and sometimes back yard, its own… space, unlike the warrens of tiny apartments and tiny homes the non-very-rich usually called home.

“You do look like one of my patients,” a slightly amused voice as Fei opened the door and practically fell inside.

“Since you were a military doctor, a backroom clinic director, an emergency med doctor, and now a coroner, I am not very reassured by that.” Fei slumped onto their bed, still in his somewhat damp clothes. “Who the hell would do that?”

“Who would do what? Sometimes, I think you assume I can read minds. I assure you I do not have that particular ability.” A gentle kiss to his temple. “Regardless, Fei, it looks as if someone rustled your radial glia and shook your sensorium.”

“Whatever. You wouldn’t understand what this mess was, I barely understood it and it made no sense to me-”

“What I’m more worried about, is you. You are this shook up from working a mere burglary. I have seen homicide guys coming through my office who have it more together.” Citan helped him undress and into bed. “Fei, I do not think you should continue with this course of being a detective. You obviously are still unwell in every sense of the word, and I would rather not lose you as well.” Another kiss. “I must go to work. Get some rest, and I will call in sick to work for you on the way, and I do think you should schedule an appointment with your therapist.”

 


	2. Out Of Phase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW/CW: This chapter contains graphic references to violence and s*icide as well as graphic references to Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). While I tried to tone down Id (known as Es here) from the stereotypical Insane Equals Violent he is in Xenogears canon to simply manic, vengeful, paranoid, and only capable of violence when the situation calls for it and pushes him beyond ordinary anger (to make his portrayal parallel canon and yet be somewhat less insulting), he still may come off as such and still causes a lot of carnage. The difference I am going to go for in the next chapters is that he DOES get into proper care and that changes his and Fei's life for the better, and I am going to depict that as correctly as possible using proper resources on Dissociative Identity Disorder. 
> 
> As I do not have the disorder that I know of, I do understand I am walking a thin line here, a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" kind of thing: that if I describe too much from the perspective of someone who does not have it (Citan's POV) it could seem to be caregiver bias, and yet if I try too much (from Fei's/Es's), as someone who doesn't have it, that itself could be offensive. I will try to balance that.

Citan had always told himself that he had caused, and seen, so much death that he had only wanted to save lives. That had been why he had chosen emergency medicine as his specialty, up until that day.

That day his beloved wife lay dead next to him, the emergency medicine doctor who had the nickname of Angel, the woman he had fallen in love with and would have given anything to, to the point that on their marriage he had taken her name rather than her taking his. Besides, he had told himself, he wanted nothing more to do with the name Ricdeau.

Yui Uzuki.

He would take up the sword again, so to speak, to avenge her. To become one seeking justice rather than giving healing, even after the hit squad from the Order of the Sun had been caught, and he had heard of their ship being shot down by a bounty hunter who had zero love for Nazis or anyone inspired by them.

Citan had started with changing his continuing medical education to forensic science, and for his initial reaction, it had drawn him in, interested him. The first time he had done an autopsy had sent him on a weeklong drinking binge, but he had soon developed a deep interest: though he preferred learning and teaching to the “wet work.”

That had been how he had met his second love, the man he hoped would take the day off and see his therapist after how he had seemed the night before, so shaken and upset. Fei Fong Wong, a cadet at the Mars Torus Metropolitan Police Academy, who had been in his forensics investigation class five years ago to the day. Then, he was an awkward sight: the muscles of someone into martial arts, his then beautiful brown hair in a standard police cadet buzzcut, those eyes that captivated him from the first moment he had raised his hand to ask how to determine the exit angle of a gunshot.

“Hey, Doc.” His assistant stood at the door. “Looks like you have a busy schedule today. There’s five bodies waiting for determination in inquest, but they seem to be natural. If that’s any consolation."

Citan nodded. “In a way, it is. If I must do this, I would much rather work with the deceased who are in some way at peace.” A sigh and fiddling with his glasses a bit. “Have you scheduled the press conference for the final determination on the death of the CEO of Corium Industries?”

“You’re on in twenty. I would suggest that you not go on too much about the details. Your last press conference upset quite a lot of people when you described death by autoerotic asphyxiation in full detail at noon on a Saturday special report.”

“I just want people to stop engaging in such stupidity,” Citan sniffed. “I hoped that would get the point across.”

“It did, but we’ve had five people try it due to your report and barely survive. Also, the Suicide Survivors Society demands an apology, as does the Pediatric Psychology Association. Moral Families demands your resignation.”

“Fine, I will make the apologies. And go out there and preface this conference with appropriate warnings. I do not work with such matters.”

“Maybe you should, Doctor Uzuki. People are beginning to say that you as coroner are an attention seeker. That you want to talk too much about your work.”

“It is important. If I am going to deal with the deceased, I must give them the same level of attention and care as I would the living.” He rearranged his hair into the loose soft black - what he preferred to call it, not graying, never graying - ponytail. He wore a green coat, instead of a white one, and added a little bit of shine control powder to his face - the last thing he wanted to hear complaints about was his appearance, as he had always been a little vain in regard to it.

In a way, he wished the day could all be press conferences. Two more years, and he could retire from having served the term, and return to work with the living, which he preferred the most, or he could go back to teaching at the Academy instead of this.

_ Why did I ever choose to be appointed coroner anyway, _ he asked himself, as he walked to the bank of microphones and cameras. “Hello, all.” He fiddled with his glasses again, a nervous habit. “As you can see, I am speaking to you today about the final determination of the inquest into the death of Randis Latimer, CEO of Corium Industries, Incorporated. This has been an ongoing investigation from the Mars Torus Metropolitan Police Department in conjunction with the Office Of The Coroner.”

Citan cleared his throat before continuing. “Due to the allegations of foul play and the high priority of the case, I personally conducted the autopsy, and after a review of evidence conducted by Detectives Ashton Steel and Mary Daniels, the result of my inquest is that Mr. Latimer was, ahem, forcibly defenestrated from the top of The Glass After Dark restaurant at the top of Brotherhood Tower in Luminous Station. The cause of death is high speed fall to the ground from a height of fifty stories. The final determination is that the death of Mr. Latimer was indeed homicide, as no one would accidentally throw a two hundred and fifty pound man out of a fifty-story window by accident. The case has been referred back to Detectives Steel and Daniels, and you are requested to contact the public information officer of the MTMPD for further updates. That will be all.”

“Oh…” He looked down and smoothed a spot on his coat. “Also, I do wish to apologize for the rather upsetting description I offered in this press conference yesterday. It seems to have hit a sore spot for some people. That will be all.”

====

Grayrose looked up from her desk as Fei entered the office. “Oh, you’re back! That’s good, I was beginning to get worried about you. Gone for three days and all on sick leave, I thought that church burglary got to you or something. I set up the beginning of the case file for you myself, and looking at what you all collected, I myself admittedly felt a bit ill. You were right to say that this requires further inquiry.”

“Glad you had my back, Cath.” Fei smiled. “But it actually wasn’t my mental health, this time. I caught a bad cold, as you can kind of tell from my voice.”

“I know right? We’ve even cured death with the Nanite Procedure for those who can get it, but we still can’t even cure a common cold.” She sighed. “Pesky bugs. Anyway, welcome back, and as you can see now, we all got moved to day watch, so things are going to be a little busier. This is when you have to actually check in with people, so you’ll need to learn to balance your caseload and plan your time. Here’s a tip I give all you young guns - find where your vics and your witnesses you gotta interview and your locations are. Maybe even put it in your planner. The last thing you wanna do is be about ready to call seven, and then you have to go all the way from Artemis Base to Mother District and chow down in your car on the way.”

“Thanks.” Fei nodded. “We don’t have anything yet, do we?”

“Nope, but then it’s only nine. But this is about when the-” One of the other detectives’ monitors lit up, as they were listed as free with no cases - “GTA calls start coming in. People go out to their car and see they have no car, and guess what they do next.”

“But I don’t have anything yet, do I?”

“Let me see here, you’re fifth up in rotation once everyone else gets assigned. So hurry up and look over what I put together for you to see how to make a proper case file, because that’s your job, Fei. And head out to the Rue Jules Verne after that, and start knocking on doors. Also, you might want to drop by Herriot’s Veterinary and check on that lamb.”

Fei sat down at his workstation for a moment, and opened the case file before him.

_ Case Number: 2253101 _

_ Date: Sol 6 Month 4 Year 100 AHC _ __  
_ Reporting Officers: Officer Jones, Detective Wong-Uzuki, Scientific Investigation Division _ _  
_ __ Prepared By: Burglary Division Lieutenant Catherine Grayrose (HEY FEI THIS IS WHERE YOUR NAME GOES IN THE FUTURE -CATH)

_ Incident Type: Burglary and Vandalism Of A House of Worship, Potential Hate Incident _

_ Address: 10001 Rue Jules Verne, Church of St. Dorothea, Mars Torus, Virtue Vale, District 10 _

_ Witnesses: _

_ Fr. Darcy Gardiner, Parish Priest, human from surface, 65. _

_ Dr. Winston Voss, veterinarian who examined lamb found at church, human, 38 _

_ Sweetie, stolen lamb from Flora Colony Petting Zoo (sorry couldn’t list the poor baby as evidence) 1 and ½ years old _

_ Evidence: _

_ Crowbar _

_ DNA from human blood _

_ Post-it notes containing verses from the Christian Holy Bible _

_ Small amount of human blood spelling out P.T.L. _

_ Footprint of unknown shoe type _

_ Fingerprints _

_ Three Boxes MegaLax brand laxative _

_ Photographs of rearranged/damaged property taken by SID _

_ Weapon/Objects Used: _

_ Crowbar to gain entry and smash windows found by door _

_ MegaLax _

_ Sweetie _

_ Post It Notes _

_ Human blood _

_ Sol 6 Month 4 Year 100 AHC, at approximately 23:00, an unidentified suspect entered the Church of St. Dorothea with a crowbar, while smashing out the stained glass windows in an apparent rage. Once inside, the unidentified suspect left a lamb, Sweetie, which had been stolen from Flora Colony Petting Zoo and dosed with the MegaLax, while allegedly rearranging the sanctuary to the Church graveyard. Somewhere during this event, the suspect also left a series of cryptic messages upon Post-It notes and one scrawled in human blood, and piled all objects of value upon the pulpit before leaving. _

_ The cries of the animal and the general noise alerted witness Father Gardiner around 23:50, who immediately messaged 119 to report what he thought at the time was a fight in his church. Upon arrival on the scene, Father Gardiner fainted, sustaining a small bruise to the forehead. _

_ Officer Jones arrived around 1:10, and proceeded to conduct initial investigation, placing a call to Burglary Division around 1:40 upon realizing the situation appeared unusual and deserving of escalation to a detective. The case was assigned to Burglary Division Detective Wong-Uzuki, who arrived around 2:20, and Scientific Investigation Division was summoned to the scene at 2:50. All relevant evidence was collected, and the scene once again opened up at 10:30. _

Fei keyed in the DNA profile in the database. He knew it likely wouldn’t be that easy, and it was not - no results, and the DNA did not even show as human DNA. _Probably from the lamb crap and not the human blood. Square one._ _Okay… so the fingerprints do not match a human profile either? What. Did the SID crew fuck it ALL up? I’ve got to go there and see what happened. That’s why Sweetie is my only lead so far. That and what these notes said. The theme seems to be ‘lambs,’ but why would someone be so obsessed with lambs?_

He decided to do one more thing before he left to start asking questions and trying to find more witnesses. He started searching the letters P.T.L. in every database he could access. There was graffiti around town with the same letters, apparently, but every other result he found was a dead end. The only thing church-related that came up was promotions for Praise The Lord Ministries, and Prayer Takes Listening Meditation. There was a sports team named the Pro Tennis League, but that seemed a bit irrelevant.

Finally, he gave up and walked to the elevator for the trip to the garage. At least he had a better car than the Corsair this time, and it wasn’t raining…

His communications device pinged, a message from Lieutenant Grayrose.

“Forget the church weirdness for now. You have a GTA at 5001 Ebon Row. Lime green 99 Crown Conqueror, license plate IMSORICH.”

“I’m in the area, I’m on my way.” Fei merged onto the interchange toward Nox Towne on the outer expressway circling the Mars Torus. He loved to drive - he knew he had apparently learned at some point in the past he could barely remember. Being behind the wheel of a car felt as if he were at home in some way, and to drive a Beltall Onyx from the police motor pool seemed almost perfect. How the car handled seemed to be as if it were an extension of his own body, and the expressway seemed to be open ahead of him.

He hit the accelerator and felt his hair blow in the breeze of the Martian terraformed atmosphere, and enjoyed the feel of the road, the vehicle. “My ETA to the GTA is ten minutes,” he said into his communications device. “I’m looking out for the car.”

====

Citan glared into the sink as he washed up after the autopsy he had just done.  _ This is why, despite my vow, I hate working with the deceased. A baby. Sudden infant death syndrome. What. Was she lucky, to have never had to take on the life of an adult in this world? _

He needed a break so badly at that point that he had assigned the other three bodies to the junior coroners, and stared at his face in the mirror once more.  _ This feels almost as bad as working for the Order of the Sun, sometimes, even if now I am on the side of good. Even if now, I do not patch up Nazi sympathizers and act on their behalf. _

The bottle of melon liqueur hidden in his office fake file cabinet seemed to almost call to him as he returned to his office, and he was just about to retrieve it when he got two notifications at once. Two that, in his current state, only made things so much worse.

_ Fatal MVA on Ebon Row and Luna Route. Ten car pileup. Requesting all available coroner’s office assets, and your own presence. Vehicles involved tractor trailer, several sedans, sports convertible asset from our motor pool, and more. You might wish to prepare yourself, Doc. - Traffic Division Commander Mason _

_ IN CASE OF EMERGENCY: Fei Wong-Uzuki has been transported to Castle Medical Center in stable condition with injuries from a motor vehicle collision. This is an automated request for your presence as he is currently unconscious. _

Citan resisted the urge to throw the phone across the room, but not one to pour a very much needed shot of melon liqueur and down it in one gulp to collect himself. He slowly picked the phone back up, trying to collect his thoughts. Both matters required his undivided attention, but the bodies at the scene were car wreck bodies, he reasoned, though he wondered for a moment if he had let his love for his husband overrule his common sense.

_ Send all staff to MVA site as well as SID. Have them collect reports on an accident. Refer said accident to my office for investigation as inquest. I cannot be present as one of the living is my husband. I hope you do understand _ , and then he hit send.

He steadied his breath as he walked out of the office. He knew he had to be the calm professional, the stable one, the person in charge, and yet he worried. He feared that Fei had been badly hurt, despite the notification - he had seen wrecks with expensive cars before, and he knew most generally provided little if any protection in trade for their speed and looks and handling. He felt a twinge of guilt as he got onto his motorcycle, as he knew he had just had a drink - and he had seen far too many DUIs come through his office, but he knew that it took more than one, and he did not desire to wait for the driver.

The ride to the hospital seemed far shorter than usual, and he had to admit that he had broken the speed limit on the way there, and he laughed softly to himself.  _ If this had been a year ago and you were on patrol, would you have pulled me over and given me a ticket, Fei? _

Citan walked to the desk. At least the ride there had given him some time to compose himself, and for anything, he seemed another doctor, although one that wore the green coat signifying the office of the coroner. “I am not here to see the deceased,” he said quietly. “Or at least, I hope I am not. I have been notified that my husband, Fei Wong-Uzuki, is one of your patients from a car crash.”

“Yes,” the desk nurse said. “We had to give him a private room. He seemed to be in some degree of psychological distress, and his behavior was agitating the other patients. His doctor will be here to meet you in one moment.”

Citan nodded. “Special request, can you have his doctor meet me out front of the hospital? I need to indulge in something I should not as a doctor.”

“Sure thing,” she said. “You must be under an incredible amount of stress right now. I understand.”

He walked outside, and pulled his hidden pack of burnable cigarettes from a hidden pocket in his coat. Very few people on the Mars Torus actually smoked-smoked anymore - not since the last hundred years, most people preferred the refined vapor sticks that carried far less hazards aside from the addiction. He knew it was bad, that even if his nanites would heal the damage for him, that the sight of a doctor smoking was as hypocritical as anything.

Nonetheless, he slipped one into the long holder he carried, normally something only women in very specific settings used to look “attractive,” but it was part of his own aesthetic. He had barely lit it and inhaled the first few drags when he heard the voice of another man behind him. “Uzuki, you know that’s not a good thing to be doing.”

“And you probably know why I am doing it.” He took another drag, as he reached out his other hand for a handshake and slight bow. “Nice to be seeing you again, Balthazar. We worked ER together back in the day.”

Citan had to admit, if there was any doctor he would trust anyone with, it was this man, Tabbris Balthasar. Another one of the Twelve, as himself, one of the first to have the nanite procedure, although he had taken a much different route than his own - he had not gotten mixed up with the Order of the Sun during the war and had instead worked as a battlefield medic. One of the most learned, wisest men he knew, and one of the most skilled doctors in all of the accessible solar system, as far as he was concerned.

“Yeah, you and me rocked that place, Uzuki!” A laugh beneath his breath. “We made a good team. When I heard your husband was in that wreck, I took his case.” He leaned back. “Fei… he seems all right physically aside from shock, which we are treating. I am surprised that he did not sustain major injuries, but he did not get hit by the tractor trailer and his vehicle probably saved his life. You ever been in a Beltall?”

“No, you know I like my bikes.” Citan quickly extinguished the cigarette as they walked back inside. “But I do know how they work. The auto-regulation system kicks in if it detects erratic driving-”

“It brought him to a safe stop. Unfortunately, not before he cut off a tractor trailer that hit five other cars, and sent those cars into other cars. It looks like they need to work on their system a bit more. It is a bit troubling to me that a police detective in routine driving would suddenly engage in such behavior. It looked for everything like road rage and intentional vehicular assault.”

_ Oh, shit. _ Citan froze at that. He knew. He knew too well. There had been the moments. The moments Fei seemed to pick up after, but also seemed to forget.

Ever since he had known Fei, he had seen them in flashes - the time that Fei had, in academy, gotten into a fight with another officer - it had been brushed off by the leadership as an argument over the girl they had both been dating at the time, but Fei had told him that he had not remembered it and that he wasn’t into girls. The time that Fei had, on first graduating, gone on patrol in the wrong area and seemed to remember nothing of it - that, he had attributed to being tired and mixing up his schedule. Once they had began dating, it had seemed to happen regularly - Fei would miss time in ways that seemed odd, but there was always an explanation, always a reason.

The worst had been that attack at their wedding day six months ago: The Order of the Sun had shown up with kill orders for him, but him only, with an anti-nanite weapon - the only thing that could kill him on the spot. At first, it had seemed normal procedure for Fei as a cop confronted with crazed Nazi-inspired killers - Fei had pulled his gun instantly, and fired with a stunning speed and accuracy to get a direct headshot on the non-nanite enhanced Vanderkaum, the leader.

But then Fei had seemed to change, to lock onto something, to become so focused, so overwhelmed with rage. It had been almost as if his complete form had changed - he had thrown his empty gun aside after shooting the rest of the hit squad, and ran at the remaining stragglers as they tried to escape, in absolute rage, clawing at them, acting almost bestial, having to have been pulled back by the other officers as they settled the situation and sent the surviving pilots of the Order ship back on their way with orders to never return.

Fei had licked the blood off of his hands, moaning in absolute pleasure as he had himself been restrained, and taken to this very hospital for observation. The diagnosis had been brief psychotic episode and brief dissociation episode caused by an extreme situation, and the immediate development of PTSD.

Citan sighed as the memory ran through his mind: what had supposed to had been their honeymoon week with Fei admitted to the psychiatric ward of the very hospital they were in at the time, and… then it had seemed so sudden. Two days in the ward, and he was fine, and seemed to have remembered nothing. He had remembered going there to visit Fei that day in the ward, having been told to relate nothing of what he had seen, and just holding him, reassuring him he had done the right thing and all was okay…

Except it had not been, totally, and never was. He knew it,  _ knew _ something was wrong, the moments when Fei would still miss time, the one night he had awakened next to him in bed and asked him who he was - something Citan had allowed himself to attribute to a bad nightmare, and had simply responded with “go back to sleep” and a kiss. The night Fei had smashed all of the glass in their house and sat in the middle of it crying, including his prized absinthe set and wineglass collection - that, he thought at the time, was because Fei had drank too much, which for him was two drinks. 

He had taken care of the cuts and the wounds, cleaned up the glass, and he had felt guilty for injecting Fei with an antipsychotic medication that night - even though he would never have considered even sleeping in the same bed with him when he was under the influence, it had felt almost a violation, even if one that Fei’s psychiatrist over the phone had signed off on and said was necessary unless he wanted to bring him back into the ward.

And he did not, because he had seen how traumatized Fei had been for those two days in that ward, and he knew that another hospitalization would mean the end of Fei’s career with the police - something that would tear the younger man’s dreams apart. Being a cop, being a protector, saving people was what Fei lived for, after all, and he did not want to be the one to sign off on that dream being taken away.

He had, in a way, became almost used to it. It was just his way, and they both had their quirks and their issues, and whatever happened, Fei had never harmed him, had never rejected him, had never abused him - not even in his worst moments, the worst he himself had gotten had been a cold, stony glare or being asked what he was doing there.

“We’re here,” Balthasar said, and opened the door. “He is heavily medicated right now, so he may not recognize your presence. You can see him, though, and you may visit him.” Balthasar looked at him and leaned in for the whisper. “I know your skills, and I know you love him. I will allow you to sign him out once he is awake. Wouldn’t do it for anyone else, shouldn’t do it for you, but I trust you, even if everyone else thinks you are a bit weird yourself.”

Citan stepped to Fei’s bedside, quickly looking over his body - he was, after all, a doctor himself. Nothing seemed to be injured - the vehicle had apparently, indeed, protected him from obvious physical injury. A quick look up at the monitors out of habit - with his glasses on he could read them all in a moment, a bit of an emergency doc parlor trick - everything seemed okay enough, except for Fei’s heart rate, which seemed to be a bit fast for someone sedated. He felt worried at that - the thought of treating Fei at home was, to him, always fraught with issues - the line between doctor and husband and lover, when would it be crossed.

They had negotiated it - the only time that Citan was allowed to alter Fei’s consciousness would be if the alternative was an emergency hospitalization. The only time he was allowed to bring medical things into sex was if they had both agreed on and detailed the scene beforehand. Yet… the line was there, and it terrified him because he felt Fei had no control of it, for the time being. That his lover, that protecting him from himself, from both of themselves, was his responsibility.

“Fei…” A whisper. “You really did it this time, did you not? I knew… I felt something was going to happen. And yet… I did not do much, did I? I stood by, hoping you would find your way as you always do…”

“Who the fuck are you,” Fei snapped, suddenly awake, his teeth bared as if he were about to try to bite him. “And who the fuck are you talking to? My name is Es, not ‘Fei,’ and while I feel like I know you, standing too close to me makes me cringe, so back off, you shiny headed quack.”

_ It is true. I… I have been in denial over this. That said, he has been in therapy! How has his therapist missed something like that? I honestly have no idea what to do. This is beyond any of my training, and I knew it was. Yet I love him. Even if… the him I love is not this person. Even if the him I love is Fei… _

“Ahem, Es, that was not very cordial of you.” Citan stepped back nonetheless - he did not want Fei to break that line of never harming each other without even knowing that “he” had. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Citan Uzuki.” A deep breath.  _ Steady, calm. That is what he needs at this time from me. _ “Your husband. Or, shall I say, the husband of someone you know very well.”

“I’m not married to anyone,” Es said, and looked at him. “I don’t like the idea of just being with one person. Why would I have gotten married? Anyway, this place is boring as shit and I am alive, so I don’t need a coroner,” he said, glaring at the green coat. “You should leave. Bring my real doctor back so I can sign myself out.”

“Unfortunately, the only way you are coming out of here is with me. Something happened to you, and they cannot let you remain unsupervised. If you want me to leave, you will stay, and that is fine by me as well.” Citan paused, and hoped for everything that Fei/Es  _ would _ agree to stay - at this point, he knew that his lover’s life and that of others mattered more than career or ambitions.  _ If he just stayed around the house, he would be miserable, and I know it. I do not wish to inflict that upon him, but if he chose it for himself it would be for everyone’s good. _

“They would not allow that, it’s cheating.” Es seemed to clasp his hands as he laughed, a shrill, bitter, to him, bone-chilling laugh. “Unless we really are married. So I guess somehow, I got drunk some night or something and married the fucking coroner. That’s really rich, so now I get to fuck some guy who sticks his hands in dead bodies for his fun time.”

“I do not even think you understand what you are saying in this moment, Es, but at least I finally do know your name. Think back upon it. Do you remember the night you woke up next to me in bed? And I called you Fei?”

“Yes, I do, you cheating bastard. You sleep with this guy named Fei and thought it was him next to you, after I probably fucked you senseless six ways from Sol seven, because you’re a slut who picks up hot guys like me in bars and then dumps them-”

“No. Es. You are Fei. You share his body.” Citan knew saying that was an absolute gamble, and he almost expected the worst from it. It wasn’t proper psychological procedure, but then he had been almost everything  _ but _ a psychiatrist.  _ And this, I do guess, is my punishment for sleeping through psych CME. _

“What the hell would I do that for?” Es glared at him as he sat up on his bed. “What the hell would I want to do with one of your random bar fucks?”

_ It is of no use. I must buy time and wait for Fei to return. _

Es seemed to look at him, to be almost trying to find something about him, before meeting his eyes in an almost passionate glare. “...We are together, though, somehow. I feel like I have known you forever, even if you are a cheating bastard, who sleeps with some dumbfuck who sounds like he’s named after a girl. Faye. I’ve heard that name before you know.”

“Yes, you have.” Citan said, and tried to keep an encouraging tone in his voice. “You recognize me, and that is all that matters for now. Do you wish to follow me out of here, or stay.”

“Of course I’m gonna follow you out of here!” That laugh again. “Why the hell do I want to be in a boring old hospital! But I want to fucking party, man. You’re a doctor, so you must have the good stuff if you know what I mean-”

“Absolutely not, Es. I do not even wish to consider you intoxicated.” With that, they walked through the procedures required to sign the person listed as Fei Wong-Uzuki and who insisted that he was Es Dur out of the hospital against all medical advice.  _ As wild as he is, he should at least like riding my bike back with me. I just hope he does not throw me off. Or fall off if he passes out again before we get back. I have no idea how he is overcoming such intense sedation as was described in his chart. _

“Sweet, man, you ride?” Es looked at the bike, and seemed to study it.

_ At least something he has in common with Fei. _

“Sure do. A Heimdarr-Fenris I restored myself.” Citan smiled back at him, and hoped he had made some sort of connection with whoever this was, this person in the body of his lover he had just met. “Here’s a helmet. I do not use one, but I recommend them to those who are not myself.”

“Why would I wanna wear a shitty helmet? It would mess up my hair worse than it already is from all this blood and crap in it. What the hell happened to me, anyway, I just woke up and I’m in the hospital with the coroner dude I must have accidentally put in as my in case of emergency contact and-”

“I already explained it once, Es. You share a body with someone else. I know it may be hard for you to understand but-”

“Fuck that shit and get me home. I’m tired and I need a shower and a good fuck-”

“You can have the shower, Es, but I am not going to touch you. I do not know you well enough for that yet.”

“You make me sick!” At least the hard kick into his shin was just as he started the bike, and not while they were on the road to cause Es’s  _ second _ accident of the day. “You’d rather sleep with this Faye-Faye than with me.”

Citan turned off the bike. “Es, we are going elsewhere, and not on here.” A deep sigh, and he knew what he was about to do could wreck Fei’s career completely, but he knew he needed assistance from someone else at this point, someone whose skills exceeded his own exhausted mind.

“Well don’t make me wait too long,” Es said. “You are always sitting around, blathering about, like no one cares, man.”

He looked through his communications device. The one good thing about being coroner, meant that he had access to pretty much any medical professional he needed to ask for a consult on a case.  _ Except I am usually asking in regard to the dead. In a way I am, those ten people who I must examine tonight. But… for now, my living husband, and this person I barely know. Marguerite Sophie Fatima, the dean of the psychology and psychiatry department at Cerulean Gardens College. I had her as a consult on the case where I had to prove double suicide over murder-suicide. _

He sent her a quick message.  _ Hi, it is me again, Uzuki. I would request an emergency appointment in your office, if that is possible. The patient is alive this time. _

_ Oh hey! That’s always good to know, and it’s been a while! It’s great to hear you are doing all right, but you say there is an emergency? Why are you not taking him to one of our hospitals here? _

_ He is my husband, another hospitalization will cost him his job, and no one seems to understand what is wrong with him or offer treatment that has helped. I suspect he may have dissociative identity disorder, and I need you to see him and advise what our path forward should be. _

The next notification from her popped up a few minutes later.  _ That is very interesting, Uzuki. You do know dissociative identity disorder is quite rare and I would say that as a non psychiatrist it must be rather dramatic for you to suspect it, or that you are misinformed! More likely, it is simply Bipolar One or possibly after effects of exposure to that attempt at airborne rabies those Order people had - you know that. When they tried to make it airborne it became less immediately lethal and simply another form of dementia. If that is the case, all that can be done is to make him comfortable, you and I both know that. _

_ I know it. But I want you to look at him and confirm for me. No one ever really did, because we all wanted him to keep his job that he loves, and it is not fair for us to take that away from him because of this. _

_ Then come to my office. You know the address, right? _

_ 4020 Emerald Way, Mother District. I am on my way as soon as I can grab us a cab. I do not trust him on my bike right now. _

====

He felt as if he had been hit by a truck, maybe that had been what had happened? He blinked his eyes trying to make sense of the world around him - the last he had known, he had been headed to that grand theft auto on Ebon Row, with plans to file it as the insurance case it likely was and move on to questioning everyone related to that incident at the church.

Fei looked around himself - the world felt unreal, like a dream, like a movie that was fading in and out as he blinked again and realized he was in the back of a taxi, with Citan next to him.  _ The fuck? What happened? It’s almost dark, Citan and I are in a cab, where are we going and what the hell happened to my Beltall and the case and was it all a dream, was I just sleeping in this cab and- _

He instinctively grabbed for Citan’s hand. “I… what happened? I feel so tired. I must have been dreaming again. Sorry I fell asleep on you, I’ve had a rough day.”

“You are not the only one.” Citan said, and took his hand in his own. “Fei, something very bad has happened. We will discuss it when we arrive at Doctor Fatima’s office. You...  I am afraid to mention it until she is present.”

“What do you mean? Today is gone for me, again.” Fei laid against him as the cab hit the Outer Ring Expressway. “I don’t remember anything after I took that grand theft auto. I guess I must have fell asleep on my way home?” He could not make sense of it at all - his entire day was gone, just as all the other missing time. There had to be an explanation for it. “I think we should just go home. I must be so tired to fall asleep and forget everything I’ve done today- wait. Doctor Fatima? Am I hurt beyond what you can do for me?”

“I think you may be, Fei.” Citan held his hand and allowed him to lie with his head on his shoulder. “I never have worked with the mind.”

“The mind. Oh… was it like six months ago? Or two months ago with all of the glass and-”

“Yes.” Citan pressed his lips into Fei’s hair to kiss his head. “You have something going on in here that is beyond my abilities to understand, to care for. That is why I want you to talk to Dr. Fatima when we see her. We are almost there. Once we arrive, I will tell you what your day was like from my perspective. All I will say for now, is this is quite the mess.”


	3. Things One Was Not Meant To Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scams, lambs, and Fei discovers a little more about his other self.

Dusk had landed over the Mars Torus as they walked into the office of the Dean of Mental Wellness at Cerulean Gardens College, Marguerite Fatima.

Fei recognized the last name - Fatima - one of his first friends in the Torus, a de facto pawnshop owner and in actuality a fence and smuggler, who was a semi-informant if the situation seemed to require it for him when weapons arrived at his shop - had the same name.  _ Bart. I wonder if they are related, it isn’t a common name. _

Citan seemed to be holding his hand almost warily, nervously in a way that almost frightened him. As if the man he had known to be alarmed by nothing were, once, truly frightened.

The door opened, and a young-looking woman dressed in a neat business blazer with brown hair and seemingly large, bright eyes nodded to them. “Nice to see you again, Citan,” she said, with a quick bow and handshake between them before she looked at him. “You’re Fei, aren’t you,” she said in a breezy yet reassuring voice as she observed him for a moment. “It is nice to make your acquaintance as well.”

“And I’m pleased to meet you,” Fei said, though he felt that same sense of nervousness, of creeping dread. Despite his orders to be in therapy and despite knowing he  _ needed  _ to find out what had happened to him, he felt as if he just wanted to leave, to forget the day.

“So, Fei, you do know why you are here, correct? You may call me Doctor Fatima, or just Margie. You’ve apparently had a very difficult day, and your husband has expressed some concerns about some issues you seem to be experiencing. Would you like to talk about them with me, and allow me to conduct some tests?”

“I think so,” he said, as he sat down in the chair.

She handed him a hologram tablet and a stylus. “First we will start with the basics. Inventory for depression, suicidal thoughts, and mania. Schizophrenia inventory. Brief dementia screening. Dissociation experiences scale. You know the basics, as you’ve taken them recently according to your records. I have also pulled your records of the brain scans done after your accident.”

With that she shooed Citan out of the office. “He needs his privacy, and I must speak with him in private. I am slightly concerned with your hovering over him as much as you seem to be.”

“Fine,” he said, and walked out. “I will be back when we may speak together.”

Fei quickly went through the various inventories and questionnaires - it bothered him, in a way, that Citan had insisted on this rather than just taken him home and gotten him to bed. His head ached, he knew he looked like he needed a shower, and he wanted to just go home, go to bed, and check back into day watch and get back to his case.

====

_ One month later _

 

“You’re such a mother hen,” Fei teased as he walked toward the door. “Even Margie said I was good to work again. Or at least…”

“She also said your triggers seem to be very difficult to identify, and your therapy will take years before you are stable.” Citan grabbed for the sleeve of his suit. “Remember what she said. If you feel the slightest bit unusually sleepy or angry, make sure you are in a safe place and call me. I do not care what I may be doing, I will drop everything to make sure you are safe, and Es is as well, even if he is somewhat more conflicted toward me.”

“I will.” Fei gently kissed him. “And thank you for…”

“Yes, well, we cannot help that you were blinded by a stray flare from the Lado-Acheson system to cut off that truck driver, now can we? These tragedies do happen, and the Nox Towne area needs to be aware.” Citan coughed slightly. “But if you do anything that kills again, I will have to recuse myself. As it is, I have to explain why I did not, though due to it being such a major incident…”

“They were short-handed,” Fei looked down at himself for a moment. “I… feel almost guilty that they gave me the car. Since no one else wants to drive it now.”

“Look at it and remember.” Another kiss. “What your body and mind are capable of if pushed too far. Take care of yourself. For both of us.”

====

“ _ Really _ long time no see,” Grayrose said, as Fei checked in to day watch at Burglary Division. “Looks like you’ve used up an entire year’s worth of sick days. Don’t worry, soon enough you’ll be able to transfer over to Bunco and-“

“Not planning on that,” he said lightly. “Just had a run of horrible luck lately. Couldn’t help it that somehow the light caught my eyes at the wrong time.”

“Yeah, luck, huh?” She seemed to stare for a moment. “Remind me to make sure to never go to one of the casinos with you, Fei. I’d lose everything and then you’d lose your shirt to cover me up.”

Her hologram tablet made a ping sound, as did Fei’s workstation. “So I got a case already? I thought I could go look into that church mess again-“

“I’m a bit ahead of you there, Fei. Been sniffing around that all myself, and you’ll want to look when you get back, because this is a live one and it’s connected.”

“Wha-‘Flannel Mouth' Goodman?” Fei said, immediately recognizing one of the few true mansions on the Mars Torus, the biggest building in all of Virtue Vale. That owned by a popular TV preacher. “Speaking of Bunco, isn’t that their business? I know they’ve been trying to reel him in for the last four years-“

“Plot twist, Fei. Our Reverend Arthur Goodman is the victim this time. He just returned from a book tour for ‘Pray Yourself Rich,’ and his place seems to have been burglarized.”

“Can’t we let one go for once,” Fei grumbled, nonetheless opening the case on his own communication device. “On my way. And I promise I won’t wreck my car this time.”

He took the elevator down to the motor pool, and felt a bit of wary nervousness as he got into the same car he had caused a massive crash with one month before, and started up.

_ Are you thinking you did it? Fuck it, Fei, you’re far too nice of a driver. That motherfucker in the truck honked at you! I had to take over and show him who’s boss. You understand. _

_ I don’t. You killed ten people in a pointless wreck, to prove something. I… I hear their voices, I feel their blood, I see their faces, I live with what you did and no no no… _

Fei clutched the necklace he now wore, focused for a moment, and tried to take himself through the grounding process that Doctor Fatima had taught him for emergencies.  _ I feel the gold chain, the embroidery of the locket. The locket that was given to me, to this person, to Fei. I feel...the seat of the car beneath me, my own breath going into my lungs, one, two… I am here. I am present… _

He felt the voice quiet as he felt more aware of where he was, the sensation of being cut off and watching end, and waited a couple more minutes before he keyed in the coordinates.

_ 8000 Trinity Lane, Virtue Vale. Engage auto-drive.  _ As much as he enjoyed driving himself, he wanted to be absolutely sure that if somehow this did not work, he would not cause another horrific accident. Would not add to the death toll he knew that, in the end, was on him.

The drive this time was uneventful enough, and he almost feared what he would see here, his mind flashing back to when he had stepped into that church a month before, as he parked at the base of the rise and began to walk up the marble stairs, past the marble and gold fountains -where he noticed the first sign of trouble.

The fountains were filled with garbage. Stinking garbage at that - rotten eggs, putrid, maggot-infested meat, and there were smears of blood which he hoped were from the meat. He stopped to take pictures of the mess, and made a note to have the SID people pull evidence from them just in case that blood wasn’t from the obvious chunks of rotted meat. A fly smacked his face, from the garbage, and already he felt almost done.  _ It’s like someone decided to trash the fountains completely, _ he thought, as he climbed up and past the second fountain to see that somehow, it had been drained of everything but now-dead fish and a puddle of dried urine.

He took pictures of the fountains, and tried to hold back his urge to vomit - it would contaminate the scene. Then he opened his phone for a quick message.

_ “Is SID free? I kinda need them again.” _

_ “I wish I had better news, Fei. Unfortunately, across town, four dumbasses in a bar decided to settle their disputes with firearms. ETA on them will be probably two to four hours for a burglary. Are you doing okay? How are you holding out?” _

_ “Feeling a bit sick. This really stinks.” _

_ “Oh, Fei. You are not-” _

_ “No, don’t worry yourself. It literally stinks. Someone trashed the place with garbage, bloody meat, and piss, and the fish in the fountains died.” _

_ “As if I needed that to think about as well. I have four GSW bodies to look at over the next four hours. I am calling for reservations at The Glass After Dark tonight at eight, and after that we will go to the Museum of Floral Arts in Flora Colony before returning home. I absolutely must have some respite from the nauseating conduct of these people.” _

_ “These people. Citan. No. Don’t talk like that.” _

_ "Oh… old habits die hard. I apologize.” _

Fei closed the communications device and began the long walk back  _ down _ the stairs to his car to pick up his evidence collection kit. He pinched his nose as he walked back to the fountains, sending the call to Scientific Investigation Division, then took photos, placed markers at areas the SID people would need to do their own collection, began to examine everything more closely as he climbed the steps again, feeling sweat bead on his face. He almost tripped over something, and then he realized it - the steps were greased. An odd, fatty, greasy substance covered them. It felt as if they were covered in it, and he realized that the only way he could make it up them was to walk to the side and climb the railing with his hands.  _ How did I learn how to do this? Glad code enforcement made him put the railings in, though! _

Finally, he threw himself off the railing onto the top step, and landed on the marble on his butt.  _ Ouch, that’s gonna leave a bruise. And on our date night at that. _

Before him, the smashed French glass doors of the Mansion Drawn From Heaven’s Bank Account awaited him, and he inwardly wished the standard detective outfit included heavier boots as he dodged glass shards. He marked the broken glass and broken doors, and walked through them on a path he hoped would not contaminate any footprint evidence left.

That greasy substance that had been on the stairs seemed to be scattered around, and with a touch into it - as much as that was against policy - he knew that it was animal in nature, not simple grease or lubricant.

This time, the entire place had been cleaned out. As if someone had pulled a ship up to the dock out back and offloaded anything of value, Fei noticed. Even wall fixtures were gone, every single thing that could be stolen and wasn’t nailed down seemed to be gone, and even the carpets were ripped out and taken.  _ An actual fucking burglary, _ he thought.  _ Thieves. This at least makes some degree of rational sense. Rich preacher gets ripped off while he’s gone. I’ll ask him what actually got stolen when we chat, and I’ll keep taking photos and have the SID guys do their thing, but this at least looks reason- _

He almost walked into it, while going into professional detective mode. The cross of gold that had apparently been too heavy to move, with a crucified lamb tied to it, obviously dead.  _ Holy  _ **_fuck_ ** _ ,  _ he thought for a moment, staring at the lamb tied to the cross with some of the preacher’s gold jewelry, with bullet holes piercing the places that had taken the poor animal’s life.

_ “Gonna need animal protection division out here,” _ he messaged Grayrose. “ _ Someone shot and crucified a lamb.” _

_ “They’re on their way. Are you doing all right?” _

_ “I’m a bit shaken up but I’ve got it.” _ Fei replied back, as he slowly, warily, stepped back from the lamb on the cross. He sent the picture he had taken to one other person, despite it being against departmental policy.

_ “My heavens, Fei. I did not need to see that, but I also must tell you… your intuition is likely correct. Whomever did this… will make the next step, unless you catch them and soon. Good luck. Please succeed, and keep them from sending people to my office. See you tonight. The Glass After Dark, remember?” _

_ “Yeah, and I’ll try to bring something special for you. I know you’ve had a rough day…” _

_ “Thank you. I… I know it is not necessarily legal, but could you acquire some Drive for me? I miss the taste, sometimes. I promise you I will not go out of control as some do on it.”  _ Citan’s message back read.  _ “It simply heightens my senses and lets me let go. Please.” _

Fei cringed for a moment - something about the name scared him. And Drive itself was now illegal in the Mars Torus - it had been for the last five years. Nonetheless, he knew his husband had broken the laws himself for him, and compared to writing off that accident, this seemed relatively minor.  _ “Sure thing. I’m sure there’s some in the evidence room no one will miss.” _

_ “I cannot wait, Fei. I cannot wait for that. I want to share it with you, so we may experience it together, but your state is a bit unstable to enjoy it in full right now, so you will simply get to experience it through me. Which I give you full permission to do, at this time.” _

He could almost see Citan lick his lips as he sent the message. He had a case to investigate, though. “ _ I have to go. See you.” _

“Detective, I would hope that you are doing something more important regarding what happened here than chatting with your friends.”

“Oh.” He cleared his throat and tried to give the man his best professional look as he switched the communications device to “record witness interview.” “I was slightly distracted by that horrific display, sir. I am Detective Fei Wong-Uzuki of the Mars Torus Metropolitan Police.” He flashed his badge and held out a business card. “So, Mr. Goodman, it appears that you have been burglarized, indeed. And that is what I am here to solve. Do you have any idea or listing of what items were stolen?”

“It is Reverend Goodman,” the middle aged man in the actual gold pinstripes suit said, with a smile. “I have a full inventory of belongings I once had, and as it seems everything has been stolen, that should do. You may download it from my communications device here.” He extended his own communications device, and Fei chose the connect option.

_ Oh, my god. He left his financials for his “ministry” here too. I might as well as grab these, he won’t know, and if I do end up in Bunco I’ve got a great start for helping them break a case. _

Fei tried not to smile as he grabbed the inventory of stolen belongings, and the financial documents that had been left in glorious open view in the main directory next to them.  _ Open view. It’s how I used to make so many arrests on patrol. It’s like the chess he loves so much and I can’t stand playing. Their move is bad, and they leave themselves open. _

“So, Reverend,” he said. “I have a few questions for you. First, how did you get in here with that mess on the steps.”

“Through my ship dock out back.”

_ And you ruined my best evidence since that’s where they went in and out, too, most likely. Yeah,  _ Fei thought for a moment. “I’ll need to see the dock. Do not move anything else there. Did you notice anything unusual there?”

“Yes, Detective, I did. There were some of my belongings that seemed to be dropped, and copies of my latest book that appeared to be torn apart.” Goodman nodded, his triple chin bouncing with it. “You think that’s how it happened.”

“Pretty sure they’d need a ship to haul away all your stuff. So yes. I’ll need to pull the record of recent landings from there.”

“Fine, please do.”

“Also,” Fei said, looking down. “Did you place these post-it notes?”

“Sometimes I do, positive affirmations are highly important to obtaining and maintaining the stores of Heaven in one’s own life.” Goodman looked at them himself. “Wait though. This is not one of mine. “And she shall slay the lamb in the place where she shall kill the sin offering? That is not even correct. The gender is he.”

“Very interesting,” Fei said, and noted the note. “Are any of your affirmation notes about ‘lambs,’ sir?”

“No… I do not go into such territory, Detective. My notes are all from the New Testament and encouraging, positive affirmations and blessings.”

Fei examined and photographed the next note, one next to a slimy puddle of that greasy substance with a bit of wool next to it.

_ But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away. _

At that moment he realized the substance was lanolin.  _ This lamb shit is creeping me out. It reminds me of something somehow,  _ he thought as he walked onto the dock and saw it on the sleek black marble used over a traditional metal ship dock. Spray-painted in a deep red paint, there it was once again.

_ P.T.L. _

“Did you write that, sir?” Fei asked, already knowing the answer.

“No, and my custom ship deck is ruined. Do you know how many credits this is worth? I paid my designer several millions, the materials and construction crew several more. I can easily manifest it once again, but this is quite the bother.”

“All right, sir. Two more questions. Have you noticed anything strange in the preceding days, and do you have surveillance cameras.”

“Not a thing, except a few days ago there was a strange couple hanging about the neighborhood. A young woman in a plugsuit with long deep blue hair, she looked to be a ship pilot. A man was with her, long blonde hair. Their hair was what I remember the most, and the guy had a flute. They were performing together, and that girl could sing! I did not catch much of it as it seemed not my style, a bit ethereal and inaccessible. Mostly in another language - but I did catch the word ‘lamb.’”

A loud boom echoed behind them, and Fei instinctively ducked before looking back  _ Smoke. What the hell, it’s on fire! _

“Run!” were the words that escaped both his and Reverend Goodman’s mouth as the other man noticed the smell, and both ran back to the dock.

“Looks like someone wanted to destroy the evidence,” he said. “The ship! Get in!”

The preacher jumped into the cockpit and started up, opening the door for Fei to jump in as the ship floated at the dock to the house, and he did so.

They hovered as Fei called for the bomb squad and fire department, and cursed the SID crew under his breath for not arriving faster and himself for thinking it was an ordinary burglary.

“Do not worry. I will ask God to grant me an even better mansion from Heaven, and He shall, Detective. Have faith.”

“More like the Angelico Insurance Agency will,” Fei mumbled.  _ Did he set this up himself to throw us off the trail because he wanted a new house? Wouldn’t put it past him. Guess I’d better have Bunco take a look into that too. _

Once they landed and SID was on scene, with the event now having far more priority than a simple burglary, Fei walked back to his car, and opened his in-car comm system. “I’m calling seven,” he said, barely believing that the time was only noon. “I’ll file the report when I get back.”

He looked up the Bunco division detectives listed as available and saw one had also just clocked out for lunch.  _ Detective sergeant Eric Van Houten. Why is that name so familiar to me… _

“Hey, Sarge. Would you mind catching lunch with me? I got some stuff you might be interested in on Flannel Mouth Goodman.”

“Of course, young man.” The older cop’s voice came back, as an older person who still used voice. “I heard about today’s incident. Breaking news. An explosion and fire. You were very lucky even if you didn’t secure the scene first. You’re not the first young gun to make that mistake, but at least you were unhurt.”

“Yeah, gotta admit I’m a bit shook up though,” Fei said. “I thought Burglary was a safe place to work but lately we’ve been getting some weird stuff.”

“Oh,” Eric said, with a laugh from the other end of the voice call. “Never, ever underestimate your job’s hazards. I got shot working Bunco, of all things. People say con artists despise violence, but I almost caught a bullet in the heart because of the time I went in alone to arrest a pyramid scam operator. You never know, but at least you know now to keep your guard up. Meet me at Ruby’s in Virtue Vale, it’s just down the road from where you’re at.”

 

====

Fei looked around as he walked into Ruby’s. It seemed to be the stereotypical “cop diner,” almost everyone in the place was either uniformed patrol or various detectives, the walls were festooned with a variety of badges and framed news printouts of major cases, the decor seemed a mix of dive and low-key yet functional…

Then it hit him. One look at Eric Van Houten and he felt it, could see the scene in his mind as if a screen from a flickery old movie had appeared before him.

He was outside it, outside himself watching a young man with hair like his own reddish pink but done up in an elaborate style with actual makeup on his face that looked almost freakish. His clothes were those of a style of music that waxed and waned in popularity but definitely waned currently: a shirt for a band, a fur-lined leather bomber jacket with a dragon embroidered on the back, ripped up dirty white jeans, lace-up black boots into which those jeans were tucked, his eyes both gold but hidden behind a pair of expensive sunglasses.

Next to him was a young woman, with orange red hair short cropped into a bob, her clothes much the same as his own except she wore a plaid skirt over black leggings and stiletto heels instead of jeans.

“Look, I don’t care what you have to say,” she said, sounding angry, impassioned. “We are more than rich enough to support Es. He’s not bad, he just doesn’t know how to control himself and I’m sure you and I can do that! I think he’s just...something happened to him once! And he’s been doing so well since I found him! I could teach him to sing and looking like this any band would take him-“

“Absolutely not, Elehayym. This man is dangerous! I have been a cop for years, and I worked domestic violence back in the day. Someone who would just lash out like he does has no place near my daughter, and I want you to leave-“

“We’re leaving together then! I’ll find my own way to support him and we will make it together!” She glared. “I don’t care if he almost hurt me last night!”

“If I had not came home when I did, you would be in a grave! I cannot allow this to happen!”

Fei felt himself snap back into reality as the man from his image, now much older and balding, walked up to him.

“I was looking for a girl named Faye,” he said, with a laugh. “Nice to make your acquaintance, Fei, although that hair reminds me of my daughter’s ex-boyfriend. A bit unprofessional for a detective. You should-“

“It’s natural, so I have permission,” Fei said, and shook out his hair. “Nice to meet you, Sarge.”

“Oh, just call me Eric. You aren’t working under me, yet.” He laughed, a deep belly laugh. “So I’ve bought lunch for both of us. Gotta keep fueled up for the day ahead, even if it’s mostly paperwork, and you should always cover the juniors’ expenses.”

“I’m not very hungry,” Fei said, and poked at the array of food covering the table with a fork. Two Monte Cristo sandwiches, two BLTs, two towers of onion rings and two plates of fries, and several skewers of kabobs. “Please don’t tell me that’s lamb.”

“Rather squeamish for a Burglary man,” Eric said, with a shake of his head. “If it helps, it’s beef. But I haven’t seen a man so unwilling to enjoy a good nosh while he chats, than since I met someone working crimes against children, last week regarding that quack healing serum that’s just bleach and turpentine. Poor kid who got it from his mama, and I’ve never been happier to slap the cuffs on a bastard.”

That didn’t do much to help Fei’s stomach, yet he had to admit he was hungry on some level, and picked at the fries as he opened up his communication device. “So, yeah. I grabbed Goodman’s financials in open view, and here they are. Also, I think he may have done this to himself for the insurance.”

“That seems to be a reasonable working assumption,” Eric said, as he ate one of the sandwiches, occasionally stopping to wipe his face. “You and I both know Goodman’s been running a scam for the last five years, and hopefully these documents are what we need to move on him. I hate people like him. Religion is so important in people’s lives, as is advancement, and yet everyone wants a shortcut. If people didn’t? We wouldn’t need a bunco division.”

“I guess it’s true,” Fei said. “How about this. Not trying to be lazy here, but I’ll pop the case over to you guys to handle as potential insurance fraud. If you find no trace of it, send it back to me, because it’s one of mine. I just want to be sure he didn’t see that church break-in last month and think he could get away with disguising his latest scam as-”

“Sounds like a fair deal to me,” Eric said, as he read over the financials. “We’ll take a look at it from here, and if somehow he didn’t stage this, we’ll bounce it back to you and Burglary to handle as a straight up break-in and theft, while we use these to reopen our own case for theft by fraud.”

In a way, Fei felt almost relieved. He reassured himself that the church burglary was the only “true” one of these incidents, that he had merely jumped to conclusions, and at least it was off his hands. The sight of an innocent animal crucified still bothered him, to the point that none of the food on the table appealed to him until he could order the vegetarian take on the BLT that was still sitting there instead. “Yeah, just can’t do with all this.”

“You should have told me you were a vegetarian.” Eric laughed. “I wouldn’t have ordered all my favorites for you, too.”

“After today, I kind of see why my husband is one,” Fei said, with a laugh.

“How is one lamb affecting the guy who took down an Order of the Sun hit squad so bad? One year in Homicide, and then I moved to Burglary and Bunco and Code.” Eric seemed confused as he dug into the onion rings and Fei took several of them for himself.

“I don’t  _ remember _ those guys or that day. I blocked it all out,” Fei said. “It’s literally gone. I’m trying to recall it in therapy but…”

“You don’t need to, I don’t think. We all do what we have to do. If Vanderkaum and his men had scored a hit first, you’d have been a widower, Nanite Procedure Twelve or not. One of the weapons recovered was a Stinger missile launcher with an anti-nanite heat seeking missile loaded. The only level of weapon that could kill one of them. There wouldn’t have been a shred left of even Citan after that. You saved his life and lived to tell the tale, unlike poor Yui.” Eric looked down at his food.

“I...investigated her death. Way back then.” He continued. “Very few people challenge the Order of the Sun, especially to defend their ex-employees and live. I’m more pissed at him with Yui, because he just stood there and watched her try to save him, when he could have survived being grazed by a simple Uzi. He’d have been laid up for a few months, but fine once the nanites healed up the damage. But yeah, you, him, and that dude at the ship port pawnshop Siggy are the only people I know of who’ve fought or escaped the Order of the Sun alone and survived.”

With that, Eric gobbled the food almost defiantly, as if  _ no _ , his memories were not going to deprive him of the enjoyment of his lunch,  _ or alternately _ , Fei thought,  _ he’s like a lot of the old detectives in Crimes Against Children and Sexual Violence and Homicide - and like my own husband, the chief coroner. They all have their quirks, their addictions, their ways of coping with all they must see. Citan likes to drink hard after a bad day and lose himself in aesthetics and sensuality, smokes, and now he wants Drive. I know Detective Steel runs through enough booze to float the entire Torus. And Lieutenant Grayrose loves to gamble. _

Fei took a bite of his vegetarian sandwich, and ate a few more of the onion rings, and took the moment to select the case dispensation on his communication device.  _ Case Number: 228301  _ _ Date: Sol 3 Month 6 Year 100 AHC Burglary of The Mansion Drawn Down From Heaven transferred to Bunco as likely self-inflicted insurance fraud, _ he noted.  _ “No longer a Burglary case per se.” _

“That, Fei, is what we call a NMP.” Eric laughed, and slapped his belly as he did. “Not My Problem. One lesson you need to learn, as a young detective in this department. You can’t take it all on, and the more bucks you pass, the more you’re able to balance your caseload. Odds are, once you come back on from calling seven here, you’ll probably get a couple more average burglaries or a GTA or two. If you’d spent all day poking around this, you’d likely be pulling overtime, and you’re not single anymore. You’re probably gonna be a family man soon.”

“We both wish,” Fei quietly said. “His daughter blames him for Yui. She left for Io Colony and the terraforming project last year with a distant relative, and hasn’t spoken to him since.”

“Then that is similar to me, in a way,” Eric said, a somewhat sad look on his features as he looked down. “My daughter Elehayym left to become a singer, ran off with a boy I warned her about. I… I’ve had the Missing Persons guys looking for her for the last six years. There’s some leads, but they always vanish. Someone will run into her singing in a club or working the streets or high, but she never does enough to get caught.” A soft, sad sigh. “Even if she did, she is an adult. There is nothing I can do for her.”

“In some way, I find the name Elehayym very, very familiar,” Fei said, that vision from earlier, that voice as it danced just beyond the edge of his mind. “I will do what I can to run the records for her. If that will help.”

“That’s good,” Eric said. “By the way, if you aren’t going to eat this, I’m gonna while I sit here and look over these financials. I’d much rather eat while I read these boring, dry old numbers that might close my case,” he said, “Than handle it in the office. The good thing about working Bunco,” he said, “The captain or the lieutenant almost always forgives working out of the office. Because the nature of the work, is reading, reading, and more reading ninety percent of the time.”

“Of course,” Fei said. “Go ahead.” Suddenly, he felt anything but hungry, as he stood to leave.  _ I need to know. I should not ask, but I need to know. If he says what I think he will say, that explains some of my missing time,  _ he thought. “What was Elehayym’s boyfriend’s name? Maybe he’s shown up in our records when no one else has?”

“It was very strange. Like I said, he had hair like yours, but he had a much different demeanor than you. You seem very nice, very gentle. Es… Es Dur. He was as a mad dog, and he would even beat her and she would beat him and… I feared for her, the worst, especially once I knew drugs were involved. Drive was legal back then, and everyone and their brother was on it - but it changed my poor Elehayym. And this Es...  as well.” Eric looked up at him. “She’s gone now. He’s gone now. I’m trying to reconcile they both likely crashed a ship somewhere, or they committed a double suicide. Or… I cannot believe there was a happy ending to that.”

Fei took a deep breath to try to ground himself as he walked out, back to his vehicle. He checked out of duty for the day, with an apology to Grayrose and a request for her to pick up his vehicle. He closed his eyes, and tried to hold on as he felt himself slip away, as his reality himself seemed to become the movie.

He saw himself as he punched a number into his communications device, one he did not recognize. He heard his voice echo in his head, as his fingers that felt not his on moved on his screen. He wasn’t messaging Grayrose, or Margie, or Citan, or Eric - then he recognized the name.  _ Sig. _

_ “I’m fucked. I don’t know where I am. I’m in Virtue Vale somewhere outside some fuckin diner and there’s tons of pigs around and I’m in a suit and I have a detective’s badge and what the hell is going on here? I guess I burned out again,”   _ he typed, in a stream of consciousness.

_ “Again? Es… you alarm me. Of course I’ll come get you, but you better not wreck my ride this time.” _

_ “The only reason I did last time was you tried to run me over in it!” _

_ “Because you were gonna kill me, Es! I had no choice but to take evasive measures! Nonetheless, I’m on my way. You’d better not try to hurt me again. I’m looking out for your ass, even when you hate everyone.” _


End file.
